Replaced PCV now engine has gone bonkers

[Grabbit]

I read of too many people having issues with the iABED one and getting installed properly and DAP doesnt even sell it anymore for this reason.

Can you share where you read this? Who at DAP indicated this? I know the iABED one uses a viton type seal and these can be tricky to install if you aren't careful. They have an internal metal spring that can come out of the seal itself and cause leaks. I learned the hard way when I replaced the RMS on my 12v VR6 which uses a seal similar to the iABED unit.

 

[BudgetPhoenix]

https://www.shopdap.com/vw-audi-20t-tsi-upgraded-rear-main-seal-06h103171f.html
"We are sorry but we are no longer offering this product. This is due to issues around installation errors causing oil leaks after install. While we beleive this product is a solid choice but, installation mistakes are often claimed as a deffective part. This puts customers in a terrible situation where it is our word against the installer. We never want our customers to be in this highly frustrating situation which is why we have opted to no longer sell this."

Again im sure its a fine product I just saw too much conflicting info online about how to install it properly( even in this thread!) some people saying it slides on, some say needs tool, some say needs to be pressed on, or tapped on with mallet, I didn't want to worry about getting it just right and went with the updated OEM rear main seal when I did mine which does seem to be a bit of an improvement on the original product.

 

[torga]

Ok, that makes a lot of sense. Sounds like most, if not all failures are due to install error. I'll just have to be triple sure I'm following the instructions and maybe contact iAbed to be sure.
Thanks for finding that quote from DAP!

 

[BudgetPhoenix]

Yeah i'm sure its a far superior seal to the OEM (even the updated) I just didn't trust myself with only limited time and money trying to get this job done in my garage last winter lol when I knew I could get the OEM right the first time for sure. I think they may even have changed the design of the seal sometime through production which may have led to a lot of the confusion on installation.

 

[Tony48]

Hopefully this helps someone. This is the response I received from iAbed when I reached out to them with some questions about install of their RMS. It was really simple. I'm not sure how it would get messed up other than not installing the seal into the flange before putting it over the crank. I have some more info if you follow this link to my build thread.

 

[Dans GTI]

The fact your car is having problems AFTER swapping out the PCV clearly and logically indicates that the problem is the new PCV. You also stated that your running a aftermarket PCV, aftermarket PCV regardless who you buy it from are complete pieces of garbage and should not be used under any circumstance.

I installed a aftermarket PCV and it nearly destroyed my engine (burned 4 quarts of oil in like 3k miles). I highly recommend you install a OEM PCV as its not a part you should try and skimp on and save a few bucks given how important the part is. You should install a OEM PCV and should install a OEM RMS, RMS don't fail as frequently as people make it sound, what happens is people drive around with a faulty PCV or install cheap PCV's that destroy their RMS in the long run.

 

[funkymcbain]

I think I'm going to swap the old OE PCV back on and see what happens. I only changed it cause I thought it may be the cause of oil leaks I've had, but there was really never any indication it was an issue, certainly no codes on the car. If the issue resolves I'm going to see about an OEM part.

Thanks for all the great info!

 

[PghDan]

So I replaced my PCV with a new one. I didn't have any codes but I've been dealing with oil leaks, the main one remaining now is the rear main. Swapped the PCV and now the engine acts weird when coming off the throttle. I have a manual so imagine driving along, coming to a stop pop it to neutral and then at that point the revs drop to where they should be, around 800 and start to climb. Sometimes they will start to climb to 1600 or so and as soon as I come to a full stop they drop to like 1200, hang there for a sec and drop to 800. The car thrown a CEL so I will scan it but anyone have any ideas just based on that?

OP, I started experiencing nearly the same exact issue several weeks ago and I've been chasing the root cause ever since. My car started idling a little bit rougher and would experience odd RPM's fluctuations like yours. My car would drive normally, feel as though it had the same power, and was getting the same MPG as always, but when I would come to a stop at a red light or stop sign my RPM's would jump by +600 to +1000 for several seconds before dropping back down to normal.

Since then I replaced the PCV with the latest revision of a genuine VW PCV, and on the first attempt I saw no improvement at all. I was led to believe that I was unlucky enough to have received a faulty PCV, so I exchanged my PCV for another one. At this point I saw a slight improvement for close to a week in how my RPM's behaved when coming to a stop, but then they went right back to a +600 to +1000 increase every time I would stop.

Next I replaced my MAF, which has made a large improvement but has still not quite fixed the RPM's issue. Now when I come to a stop my RPM's either remain the same or increase by +200 to +400.

I just did a smoke test and found no leaks, as well as performed a thorough visual check of all vacuum hoses.

At this point I'm looking to acquire a scanner so I can clear the CEL and see if the CEL comes back on or not. If it comes back, it seems logic points me to the upstream o2 sensor next.